This recipe came to The Times in 2003 from the chef Scott Conant, who was then cooking at his restaurant L'Impero in Manhattan It is simple, classic Italian fare that makes the most of summer's tomatoes, but you can also make it with hothouse offerings and it will be delicious.

Lasagne (also singular lasagna) are a type of wide, flat pasta, possibly one of the oldest types of pasta. Lasagne, or the singular lasagna, commonly refers to an Italian cuisine dish made with stacked layers of this flat pasta alternated with sauces and ingredients such as meats, tomato sauce and other vegetables, cheese (which may include ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese) and seasonings and spices such as garlic, oregano and basil. The dish may be topped with melted grated mozzarella cheese. Typically, the cooked pasta is assembled with the other ingredients and then baked in an oven. The resulting lasagne casserole is cut into single-serving square portions.